As I smell many niche collections these days, I get a distinct feeling that the luxury is being channeled mainly through the price and elaborate packaging. I do not wish to single out Cartier; the same thing can be said about by Kilian, Armani Privé, Clive Christian, Xerjoff, etc, etc, etc. This is also not to imply that the fragrances launched under these brands are poorly made; in fact, sometimes it is quite the opposite. However, as the price of luxury rises higher and higher, I begin to wonder whether the fragrances truly justify it. After all, I am not wearing a pretty bottle, nor do I care about the esteemed brand name. The only thing that remains is the scent. As for Cartier Les Heures de Parfum scents, I enjoyed the incense of L’Heure Mystérieuse and fell hard for the introspective aura of L’Heure Fougueuse and liked L’Heure Brilliante. Yet, as I mentioned previously, I wish for more complexity in these compositions and fuller stories being developed around these strong ideas. As I finish testing Les Heures de Parfum, I am left with the surprising discovery that in comparison to many niche lines, Serge Lutens fragrances can seem like bargains!

I decided to review L’Heure Folle, L’Heure Brilliante, L’Heure Promise, and L’Heure Diaphane together, because they capture a similar bright, joyful sensation to me, despite being quite different in terms of their olfactory profiles. As such, it is very interesting to observe how different olfactory effects can be used to achieve a similar mood. They also give a very interesting insight into Cartier in-house perfumer Mathilde Laurent’s style and her strong signature.

I am deeply ambivalent about L’Heure Folle. On the one hand, it is one of the most original green fruity accords I have smelled recently. On the other, I cannot help but think that it is an extremely expensive fine fragrance accord. Yet, L’Heure Folle is fascinating for its ability to weave an illusion of berries and ripe fruit out of green leafy notes. The strong fruity notes with their sharp butyric, and in the case of black currant, sulfuric facets are not pretty, and it is remarkable how Laurent manages to create a very juicy, edible sensation with just a hint of something strange. It gives L’Heure Folle a very memorable quality, much like the one in Laurent’s own Guerlain Aqua Allègoria Pamplelune. All in all, L’Heure Folle captures my attention, but I would not be interested in wearing it unless it were a part of a more complex composition. Yves Saint Laurent In Love Again can also be considered for those who enjoy bitter grapefruit-berry notes.

Vivid green notes are very hard to find in fine fragrance, because they tend to be quite polarizing. Even in the niche lines, green fragrances are quite rare. L’Heure Brilliante is a welcome departure, and it is undoubtedly my second favorite, after L’Heure Fougueuse. The composition scatters like pearls from a broken string , revealing the brightness of green grass, crush stems, green citrus rind and sticky buds. It is such a vivacious, effervescent composition that it is almost irresistible. But because of the price, I would rather go with the equally green and vivid Miller et Bertaux Green, green, green…

L’Heure Promise has a beautiful green bitter orange leaf and iris opening that slowly leads into a warm, soft sandalwood base. The verdancy is explored in different ways here, from citrusy to herbal, from floral to fruity. The luminous quality of L’Heure Promise is retained even in the late drydown, when the composition becomes mostly musk and creamy sandalwood. It is balanced very nicely and the whole sensation of smoothness, softness and lightness is very appealing. Wearing it, I keep thinking of Indian sandalwood soap and sun-dried linen—all very clean, soft impressions. The green fig leaf married with the languid sandalwood is reminiscent of Olivia Giacobetti’s L’Artisan Premier Figuier and Diptyque Philosykos, so perhaps, for this reason I feel that I have experienced L’Heure Promise before.

L’Heure Diaphane is interesting in its exploration of the contrasts between the girly brightness of peony and the strong, dry sharpness of a woody amber. On the skin, it is less pleasant, since the strong rosy-citrusy note has a rather functional quality, making me think of furniture polish. It vanishes soon enough to allow the rose and peony accord to unfold fully, but it is a jarring start. The fragrance name does not mislead in this case, as it is quite a diaphanous, light composition. Again, an interesting idea, but not enough to tempt me into parting with $255. I feel that a similar contrast (even if the accents are different) has been already explored very successfully by Stella McCartney (rich, fruity rose on an amber base) and L’Artisan Fleur de Liane (vivid green floral and woody amber composition). For a gentle, fresh rose take, Cartier’s recent Cartier de Lune would be a nice alternative.

11 Comments

Olfactoria: L’Heure Brilliante sounds enticing, but I will check out Miller et Bertaux instead, thank you for the tip.
I have samples of the last two as well and couldn’t agree more about the similarity of Promise to several fig fragrances and the eye-watering top notes of Diaphane, furniture polish indeed.
I am glad that only one of the line appeals to me, but it is sad as well. It sets perfumes like Puredistance in perspective though, that seem almost like a bargain in comparison to Cartier’s collection and uphold an impeccable standard of excellence. (I know I sound like the press representative of Puredistance, which I am NOT!) 🙂 January 31, 2011 at 3:55amReply

Nina Z: How wonderful that you provided alternate suggestions for perfumes of a more reasonable price. It’s not only useful advice, but when you actually do recommend an expensive fragrance, that recommendation will be all the more believable and compelling. January 31, 2011 at 11:16amReply

Victoria: B, trust me, if most press representatives were as eloquent and informed as you, fragrance sales would have been much better!
Green, green, green is a very bright, appealing green scent. Definitely worth exploring, if you like leafy-green notes. To me though it is a t-shirt and jeans perfume category or something I wear to gym or my dance classes. So, L'Heure Brilliante price does not fit my personal t-shirt perfume budget. 🙂 January 31, 2011 at 8:17amReply

Victoria: Nina, I am so glad that it is helpful! They are lovely, good quality perfumes, but I do not find many in this collection so unique that nothing else can be found with similar characters. And they are so expensive! It is of course just my personal opinion. You can also read reviews by Denyse of Grain de Musc, who was much more impressed with the whole collection. January 31, 2011 at 12:11pmReply

Tarleisio: Apart from the stroke-inducing price tag (although, in fairness, it could be worse!), any of these Les Heures de Parfum would pretty much have to be spectacular to justify their price tags. And of all of them, L’Heure Fougueuse and L’Heure Folle read the most intriguing to my own olfactory imagination. (I’m a big fan of both Acqua Allegoria Pamplelune as well as YSL In Love Again). But being made aware of the similarities between L’Haure Folle and the others gives me pause for thought. Maybe…not.

Two full bottles of any Lutens…or just one of Cartier’s? Decisions, decisions…;-) January 31, 2011 at 12:14pmReply

Tarleisio: Apart from the stroke-inducing price tag (although, in fairness, it could be worse!), any of these Les Heures de Parfum would pretty much have to be spectacular to justify their price tags. And of all of them, L’Heure Fougueuse and L’Heure Folle read the most intriguing to my own olfactory imagination. (I’m a big fan of both Acqua Allegoria Pamplelune as well as YSL In Love Again). But being made aware of the similarities between L’Haure Folle and the others gives me pause for thought. Maybe…not.

Two full bottles of any Lutens…or just one of Cartier’s? Decisions, decisions…;-) January 31, 2011 at 12:15pmReply

Victoria: L'Heure Folle is a very creative fruity idea, very interesting. If you like green fruity notes, definitely try it!
I know what you mean though… I have never imagined that a day will come when Serge Lutens will see an affordable luxury (relatively speaking, of course.) 🙂 January 31, 2011 at 12:38pmReply

dee: RE: X L’Heure Folle

For your “original green fruity accord” fix, you could do a lot worse than Olympic Orchids Midsummer’s Day Dream… which is practically free in comparison!

As B. said, L’Heure Brilliante sounds the most enticing of these, but the reality is that I want L’Heure Fougueuse, and it seems stupid for me to even bother smelling any others (since I certainly can’t afford more than one, and I’m not even sure about one!). January 31, 2011 at 1:22pmReply

Victoria: D, Olympic Orchids is not a brand I have tried before, but I know that you and Birgit really like it. Will explore it one day too!
If you just want to smell a couple out of these, then try Folle and Brilliante. Both are vivid green. Folle should be smelled for a fruity accord done really well. Not something I find interesting to wear though. January 31, 2011 at 1:27pmReply

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